National Lottery funding is a boost for Re-Fit

Re-Fit Boost

The Society of St James is delighted to have been awarded funding from The National Lottery Community Fund for two projects in 2020 and we would like to thank the National Lottery and its players for their support.

With this funding, SSJ can continue to deliver the extremely successful Re-Fit project in Portsmouth, in partnership with Pompey in the Community. The project is for disadvantaged and vulnerable adults with multiple issues including homelessness, substance misuse, mental & physical health and offending. It provides daily diversionary leisure and sports activities alongside training, education and employment opportunities, all of which can significantly improve physical and mental health, self-esteem, confidence, social interaction, and motivation.

We are also grateful to Southern Co-op and Portsmouth City Council for their continued support of this project. Since opening in November 2016, the project has worked with over 800 Portsmouth residents.

We have also been awarded funding to pursue our partnership with Southampton and Winchester Visitors Group to provide housing for asylum seekers. As Southampton is part of the City of Sanctuary network it feels right that SSJ is doing their bit in Southampton to support this vulnerable group of people who without the support of this new partnership would be homeless with no recourse to public funds.

The National Lottery Community Fund is the largest funder of community activity in the UK. Since June 2004, it has made over 200,000 grants and awarded over £9 billion to projects that have benefited millions of people. It is passionate about funding great ideas that matter to communities and make a difference in people’s lives.